Constitution for the Reid-Yulee-Mallory Area Council

(Last Revised: Fall 2007)2004)

(By: Daniel SeemanElizabeth Williamson, RYMAC President)

ArticleI. Name and Purpose

Section A The name of the organization shall be the Reid-Yulee-Mallory Area Council, hereafter referred to as RYMAC.

Section B The purpose of RYMAC shall be to:

1. Represent the residents of the Yulee Area to the Department of Housing and Residence Education, the University of Florida, Student Government, and IRHA;

2. Seek improvement of living conditions and seek solutions to the problems of area residents;

3. Sponsor and aid various activities of benefit and interest to area residents.

Article II. The Purpose Ethics of RYMAC

Section A RYMAC shall not haze any prospective member for the purpose of admission into or affiliation with the organization.

Section B RYMAC shall follow the guidelines set forth in the Florida Administrative Code: Section 6C1-4.16; Student Affairs; Student Conduct Code; prohibition of hazing; procedures and penalties.

Section C Members of RYMAC are free to leave or dissociate without fear of retribution or harassment.

Section D RYMACshall not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, age, religion, disability, or any other classification as provided by law.

Section E RYMAC shall not associate itself with or voice public support for or in opposition to any political organization or party. This includes, but is not limited to, UF Student Government, local, state, and national political parties.

Section F RYMAC will abide by University of Florida rules and regulations.

The purpose of RYMAC shall be to:

RepresentA. represent the residents of the Yulee Area to the Department of Housing and Residence Education, the University of Florida, Student Government, and IRHA;

Seek B. seek improvement of living conditions and seek solutions to the problems of area residents;

SponsorC. sponsor and aid various activities of benefit and interest to area residents.

Article III. Membership

Section A The membership of RYMAC shall be defined as follows:A. Membership of RYMAC shall consist of all the residents of the Yulee Area who wish to come to the meetings. Each floor shall elect two representatives as determined by the Constitution.

1. Executive Board Officers

2. Floor Representatives

3. Any interested resident of the Reid Yulee Mallory area

4. Persons employed as Apprentice Resident Assistants, Resident Assistants, Hall Directors, and Assistant Directors of Housing are not eligible for voting membership, nor shall they participate in debate in RYMAC, but their opinions and comments are to be heard and considered by virtue of their position.

Section B B. The Department of Housing and Residence Education staff shall be represented in RYMAC by one resident assistant from each hall’s residence life staff.

1. 1. The resident assistant shall coordinate activities and share information between RYMAC and Housing staff;

2. 2. The resident assistant shall not have a vote in RYMAC.

Article IIV. Officers Executive Board Officers

Section A A. The Executive Board officers of RYMAC shall be the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Business Manager, Secretary, Publicity Director, ProgramTechnical Director, and a Hall President from each hall.

Section B B. The rank of the Executive Board RYMAC officers shall be: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Business Manager, Secretary, Publicity Director, ProgramTechnical Director, and the Hall Presidents.

C. Qualifications of Officers

1. Residency

a. Each officer must be a resident of the Yulee Area throughout his/her term of office;

b. New officers beginning their term at the spring turnover do not need to currently reside in the area, but must be confirmed by the Department of Housing and Residence Education as approved to live in the Yulee Area in the fall;

2. Each officer must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 throughout his/her term of office;

3. Each officer must retain good standing with the University of Florida, as defined by the University of Florida rules of conduct;

4. No officer may hold two or more offices in RYMAC concurrently;

D. Officers must obtain excuses for absences from the President or Adviser.

Article VI. Qualifications and Duties of MembersOfficers

Section A Qualifications of Floor Representatives

1. Floor Representatives must be a resident of the Yulee Area throughout his/her term of office;

2. Floor Representatives must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 throughout his/her term of office;

3. Floor Representatives must retain good standing with the University of Florida, as defined by the University of Florida rules of conduct;

4. No Floor Representative may concurrently serve as a RYMAC Executive Board Officer;

5. Floor Representatives must reside on the floor they represent;

6. Floor Representatives must comply with a General Body Meeting attendance policy as prescribed by the RYMAC Secretary and confirmed by the RYMAC executive board;

Section B Duites of Floor Representatives

Floor Representatives:

1. Shall serve as voting members of RYMAC and shall compose the RYMAC General Body;

2. Must act on behalf of and in the best interests of the floor they represent;

3. Must attend each RYMAC meeting to ensure representation of his/her floor;

4. May serve on a committee in RYMAC without forfeiture of his/her position as Floor Representative;

5. Should post minutes of RYMAC meetings on his/her respective floor;

6. Shall, with the Publicity Director, post publicity on an assigned floor;

7. shall serve the area until the end of the following spring semester;

Section C Qualifications of Executive Board Officers

1. Each Executive Board officer must be a resident of the Yulee Area throughout his/her term of office;

2. New Executive Board officers beginning their term at the spring turnover do not need to currently reside in the area, but must be confirmed by the Department of Housing and Residence Education as approved to live in the Yulee Area in the fall;

3. Each Executive Board officer must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 throughout his/her term of office;

4. Each Executive Board officer must retain good standing with the University of Florida, as defined by the University of Florida rules of conduct;

5. No Executive Board officer may hold two or more positions in RYMAC concurrently;

6. Executive Board Officers must adhere to an Executive Board and General Body Meeting attendance policy as established by the RYMAC president

7. Executive Board Officers must obtain excuses for absences from the President or Adviser.

Section D Duties of Executive Board Officers

1. A. It shall be the duty of the President to:

  1. Preside1. preside over all RYMAC meetings;
  2. Act2. act as spokesperson and official representative of RYMAC;
  1. Maintain 3. maintain membership in IRHA according to that body’�s constitution; This clause may be suspended by a 2/3 vote at a General Body Meeting;
  1. Appoint4. appoint and remove the chairperson and members of various RYMAC committees;
  2. Maintain5. maintain an open line of communication between RYMAC and the Area Assistant Director of Housing, Yulee Area Hall Directors, and Yulee Area Residents;
  3. Uphold6. uphold the constitution, by-laws, and purpose of RYMAC;
  4. Be 7. be a registered cosigner with the treasurer on the RYMAC checking account;
  5. Perform8. perform or delegate to other those duties necessary for the proper operation of RYMAC checking account;
  6. Oversee9. oversee activities of other officerExecutive Board Officers;
  7. Attend 10. attend President Committee meetings as directed by the IRHA President;
  8. Have 11. have the RYMAC safe combination;
  9. Post12. post, outside the RYMAC office, his/her phone number as an on-call office;
  10. Meet13. meet weekly with the RYMAC Adviser;

a.Meet

  1. 15. meet monthly with the Treasurer to prepare a semesterly and yearly budget;
  2. With16. with the Vice President, prepare a semesterly report of all of RYMAC's activities and an evaluation of the programs;.
  3. 17. Appoint someone, such as the Vice-President, to provide summaries of the IRHA and RYMAC meetings to those officerExecutive Board Officers and members who miss the meetings;.
  1. Serve two office hours weekly.

2. B. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to:

  1. Assume1. assume the duties of the President in his/her absence;

a.Assist

  1. 2. assist the President in his/her duties;
  2. Serve 3. serve as Parliamentarian;
  3. Attend4. attend Judiciary Committee meetings as assigned directed by the IRHA Vice-President;
  4. Revise5. revise, enforceimplement, , and distribute the RYMAC constitution;
  5. Implement6. implement election procedure and run elections;
  1. Maintain7. maintain membership in IRHA according to that body’�s constitution; This clause may be suspended by a 2/3 vote at a General Body Meeting;
  1. Serve8. serve two office hours weekly;
  2. Be 9. be in charge of programming at the discretion of the executive board.
  3. Obtain10. obtain permits required for all RYMAC permits.

3. C. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to:

  1. Handle1. handle all funds of RYMAC and maintain accurate records including the office log;
  2. Require2. require an audit of the financial records prior to the assumption and termination of his/her office;
  3. Prepare 3. prepare the records for quarterly audits by the IRHA Auditor, and to attend all audits with the RYMAC Advisor;
  4. Provide4. provide reports of the financial transactions at each RYMAC meeting;
  5. Be 5. be a registered cosigner, along with the President, of the RYMAC checking account;
  6. Expend6. expend only those funds which have been properly appropriated by the membership of RYMAC at a duly authorized meeting;
  7. Prepare7. prepare and submit a budget to RYMAC and the IRHA Auditor;
  8. KnowHave8. have the RYMAC safe combination;
  9. Take9. take responsibility of the information in theAct in accordance with the IRHA Finance Manual;
  10. Attend10. attend Finance Committee meetings as directed by the IRHA Auditor;
  11. Explain11. explain the financial status of RYMAC in detail to any member who desires;
  12. Prepare12. prepare a mid-semester and end-of-semester financial report;
  1. Maintain13. maintain membership in IRHA according to that body’�s constitution; This clause may be suspended by a 2/3 vote at a General Body Meeting;
  1. Review14. review financial records monthly with the President and/or Adviser;
  2. To15. to Sserve two office hours weekly.

4. D. It shall be the duty of the Business Manager to:

  1. Maintain1. maintain and manageManage the RYMAC office by:

Arranginga. arranging the office;

Settingb. setting office hours;

c. recruiting office hours;

Recruitingd. monitoring office hours;

Monitoring office hours;

Establishinge. establishing check out procedures and policies;

  1. Create2. create and maintain an office log for equipment;
  2. Maintain3. maintain and manage equipment and office supplies including repairs, lost or stolen items, ordering new items, and IRHA permanent improvements;
  3. Report4. report to the IRHA Business Manager equipment that is broken and needs to be repaired and/or replaced.
  4. Take5. take inventory at the beginning and end of each semester and check the equipment periodically for damage;
  5. Schedule6. schedule and participate in equipment checks with the IRHA Business Manager and the RYMAC Advisor;
  6. Be7. be the liaison between IRHA Business Manager and RYMAC concerning the light Entertainment package, Spinal TechReitz Union AV services, and any paper item or equipment IRHA has;IRHA Equipment;
  7. Publish8. publish at least twice a semester an updated list of equipment;
  8. Attend9. attend Finance Committee meetings as directed by the IRHA Business Manager;
  9. Act in accordance with theTake10. take responsibility of the information in the IRHA Finance Manual
  1. Maintain11. maintain membership in IRHA according to that body’�s constitution; This clause may be suspended by a 2/3 vote at a General Body Meeting;
  1. Serve12. serve two hours office duty weekly;
  2. Prepare13. prepare all purchase orders for equipment;
  3. Post14. post RYMAC office hours;.
  1. Serve two office hours weekly

5. E. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to:

  1. Record 1. record and keep accurate minutes of each meeting and prepare them for distribution to each officerExecutive Board Officer, floor representative, and the IRHA Secretary;
  2. Maintain2. maintain an accurate record of attendance at RYMAC meetings and functions;
  3. Create an attendance policy for Floor Representatives that is confirmed by the RYMAC Executive Board
  4. Notify3. notify members of the time and place of all RYMAC meetings;
  5. Maintain4. maintain permanent records of interest to RYMAC meetings;
  6. Handle5. handle official correspondence for RYMAC;
  7. Prepare6. prepare the agenda for all meetings, in coordination with the wishes of the President, and distribute the agenda to all executive members and floor representatives;
  8. 7. Create a committee, to be overseen by the Secretary, to act as historian for RYMAC if a historian is deemed necessary by the executive board.
  9. Coordinate8. coordinate the regular publication and distribution of the RYMAC newsletter;
  10. Maintain9. maintain membership in IRHA according to that body’�s constitution; This clause may be suspended by a 2/3 vote at a General Body Meeting;
  11. Attend10. attend Gator Dining Service committee meetings as directed by the IRHA Secretary;
  12. Serve11. serve two office hours weekly;
  13. Keep12. keep an accurate record of RYMAC attendance at IRHA meetings.

6. F. It shall be the duty of the Publicity Director to:

  1. Create1. create and hang banners for publicity;

a.Attend

  1. 2. attend IRHA meetings as a substitute for another officerExecutive Board Officer when necessary;
  2. Attend3. attend Public Relations committee meetings as directed by IRHA
  3. Serve4. serve two office hours weekly;
  4. Assist5. assist the ProgramTechnical Director in overseeing Floor Representatives, Hall Presidents and Resident Assistants in the posting of publicity;
  5. Keep6. keep track of locations of publicity and remove out-of-date publicity;
  6. Maintain7. maintain and update the RYMAC bulletin board and publicity case;

7G. It shall be the duty of the ProgramTechnical Director to:

  1. Work together with the Treasurer to calculate costs of upcoming programs;
  2. Work with Hall Presidents and the RYMAC President to think of interesting events;
  3. Work with the Vice President to assure that permitting will be done in time for an event;
  4. Assure that the Secretary, or substitute, will be available to turn in a Program Report for any given program;

a.Attend1. maintain and update the RYMAC web site and inform the IRHA Technology Chair of the site location for linkage to the IRHA web site.

b.2. create and photocopy flyers for RYMAC;

  1. 3. attend IRHA meetings as a substitute for another officerExecutive Board Officer when necessary;
  2. Attend4. attend Public Relations committee meetings as directed by IRHA;
  3. Serve5. serve two office hours weekly;
  4. Assist6. assist the Publicity Director in overseeing Floor Representatives, Hall Presidents and Resident Assistants in the posting of publicity;
  5. Keep7. keep track of locations of publicity and remove out-of-date publicity;

8. inform Housing of the RYMAC website address so it will be linked from the Housing website.

8H. It shall be the duty of the Historian to:

  1. 1. Document RYMAC events through pictures, video, words, or other methods.
  2. 2. Create and maintain a RYMAC scrapbook.
  3. 3. Maintain a binder with program reports and other relevant documents to be passed on to future boards.
  4. 4. Serve two office hours weekly.
  5. 5. Attend IRHA meetings as a substitute for another officerExecutive Board Officer when necessary.

9I. It shall be the duty of the Hall Presidents to:

  1. Serve1. serve two office hours weekly;
  2. Attend2. attend IRHA meetings as a substitute for another officerExecutive Board Officer when necessary;
  3. Inform3. inform Floor Representatives and Resident Assistants of all RYMAC meetings and programs;
  4. Promote4. promote concerns and interests of residents in the hall;
  5. Call5. call floor meetings when necessary in cooperation with the Resident Assistants of the floor;
  6. Plan6. plan and run a program with the other Hall Presidents and Floor Representatives once a semester;
  7. Attend7. attend hall Mini-Staff meetings at the invitation of the Graduate Hall Director to disseminate RYMAC information to the Resident Assistants and gather information for RYMAC from the Resident Assistants;.
  8. Help8. help Publicity Director create banners and post publicity;.
  9. 9. Hang publicity in his/her Hall when the floor representatives fail to do so.

Article VII Meetings

Section A Executive Board Meetings

1. The executive board must meet no less than once per month when classes are in session.

2. Only executive board members are required to attend these meetings.

3. Any decision of the executive board will be made by consensus or majority vote.

Section B General Council Meetings

1. Quorum shall be defined as at least fifty percent of the voting members

2. The Council shall meet no less than once per month.

3. Approval of Funds

a. All money to be spent before passing the budget must be passed by two-thirds of the executive board.

b. All money to be spent from the budget must be passed by a majority of the Council

Article VIII. Selection of Executive Board Officers and Floor Representatives

Section A The current Executive Board Members shall, by a majority vote, decide on which of the following procedures to use.

The standing executive board shall determine which of the following procedures shall be used to select the incoming board:

Section B A. Elections of Executive Board Officers

1. 1. OfficerExecutive Board Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of those residents votingballots cast in an area-wide election;

2. The election shall be held during the first General meeting in March;

2. 3. Nominations shall be made one week prior to elections. The president shall give two week’s� notice prior to nominations;

3. 4. Publicity and campaigning shall compose the week prior to elections. Campaigning by the candidates must be in accordance with the IRHA election procedure.

4. 5. Election procedures shall be supervised by the Vice-President and shall be made public before nominations are held;

6. The term of office shall be one year, which shall commence at the last RYMAC meeting of the Spring Semester, except in the case of special elections;

5. 7. All candidates shall have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00;

6. 8. Hall Presidents shall be elected in the third week of classes of the Fall semester if not elected in the Spring.

Section B B. Appointment of of Executive Board Officers

1. 1. OfficerExecutive Board Officerss shall be appointed by the President of RYMAC, with the approval of the a majority of the current RYMAC executive board and confirmedation by the RYMAC body;

2. The appointment shall take place by the first General Meeting in March.;

2. 3. An application procedure shall be determined by the President of RYMAC and publicized to the residents;

3. 4. The term of office shall be one year, which shall commence at the last RYMAC meeting of the Spring Semester, except in the case of special appointments;